Another Chance At Love
by DanaIsis
Summary: AU/OOC Michael/Gretchen. Doesn't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone? One-Shot


She sipped on the steaming mug of tea, looking hard at the small lines on the wooden table below her hands. She wasn't sure how long she had been looking at it until she felt the table shift as a new person occupied the seat that was previously vacant. When she looked up, she saw that familiar pair of blue eyes that she was so deeply in love with.

"Michael," she breathed out looking up at him. She hadn't seen or heard from him in three years, and seeing him again after all this time was a breath of fresh air for her.

"Gretchen," he said. Her name playing on his lips sounding so familiar. "It's good to see you, you look good."

She didn't respond back so quickly; just listening to him say her name was music to her hears. She loved hearing his voice—the voice she had missed for so long was finally speaking to her. She allowed it to soak in before she looked back up at him and spoke again.

"I'm glad you decided to come," she said, her fingers fingering the ring of the mug in her hands. "I really wanted to talk to you about what happened."

"That was years ago," he said looking irritated as he glanced over to the window before he laid his eyes on her again. "Why bring it back up now? What's changed?"

"Michael I've changed," she said clasping her hands to her chest. "Everything has changed. It—it all changed when you left."

She remembered the memory very clearly. She came home to the apartment she had once shared with him to see his bags packed as he waited for her arrival. She always allowed her work to get in-between them. And apparently Michael was sick of it, so he ended their relationship just like that.

"Is that so?" he said staring back at her through hard eyes. She knew that look; hell she knew it well. It was his pissed off look. And something she wasn't too fond of seeing.

She averted her eyes down to her lap where her hands now rested.

"I quit my job you know," she said looking back at him to see his lips somewhat parted and his eyes grew slightly wider at the revelation. "It wasn't worth losing you over, so I quit."

"Fine time to tell me," he said chuckling sarcastically. "When did you do it?" he took a sip of the coffee that he ordered and looked back at her.

"A couple of months after we broke up." She looked up. "I don't know why I never came and told you. I figured it would've been too late and you would've been with _Sara Tancredi_ by then." Her voice laced with venom as she spoke the red-haired girls name.

He furrowed his brows then laughed a bit. "I've told you time and time again, nothing ever went on between me and Sara. I don't even know how you came up with that in your head to be honest"

"It wasn't that hard when you think about the time you two had spent together when we were together," she said looking at him, her turn to give him an angered look.

"I didn't come here to fight with you alright," he said pushing his chair back as he stood. "I'll see you around Gretchen."

"Wait!" she said standing and grabbing his arm. "I didn't call you here to fight. Just wait and let me explain myself."

He placed his hands into his pocket and took his seat back at the small café table. She too sat back down and then took a sip of her tea. She sighed deeply and closed her eyes before placing her hands back on the table.

"I—I want to give it another try," she sighed out. "I wanna give us another try."

He didn't say anything to her for a few moments. He just stared ahead—lost in thought as he let what she said sink in. he took his hands to rub down his face as he laughed and began shaking his head. She was confused at his behavior, but she didn't question him. She waited patiently to see what he had to say. If he didn't want to work things through than she promised herself before this meeting that she would permanently close this chapter in her life and finally move on. Finally he spoke up.

"How do I really know you've changed?" he said waving his hands around. "For all I know you could go back to being the same, ole' workaholic you used to be."

"Michael I promise, I have changed," she said tears collecting in the corners of her eyes. "I gave up my job, hell I bought a pet store. I'm telling you when you left, everything in my world went downhill. You were the one that held me together, and when I didn't have that anymore I went into a mental breakdown."

He looked at her, if she hadn't known better she would've said he had tears collecting in his eyes as well. But when he blinked they went away.

'Michael please," she said her fingers digging into the table. "Just one more chance, that's all I'm asking. Just let me make things right."

He looked hard at her, his eyes only softening up a bit when he wiped his hand down his face. After a few more silent glances he replied to her.

"There's a few conditions if we're really gonna do this," he said pointing his finger at her.

She was both in shock and bliss that he agreed to get back so quickly. She nodded her head very fast as she spoke up, "I'm listening."

"One: no more late night work sessions," he said mentally checking each one off in his head she could tell.

"Two: from now on, after four p.m. we only pay attention to each other. Three: every night is date night." She smiled inwardly at that.

"Four: our problems need to be discussed with each other whenever they rise. And five: we say 'I love you' whenever we feel it," he took to taking her hands into his; caressing them lovingly and smoothly.

"You know if you had come to me with this a few years ago I would've been more than happy to come back to you, so long as you made adjustments," he smiled a genuine smile at her this time.

"I love you," she said to him finally letting him hear those three words she kept bottled up in her for so long.

"See progress already," he joked as she lightly tapped him on the arm. "I love you too. Now c'mon and lets go home."

And just like that it was like their first date all over again. They stood and intertwined fingers into each other's. Walking out of the café hand in hand; in love all over again.

**Dedicated to another one of my cyber bffs, Millie55. Girl this was the fluffiest thing I've ever written! I really liked writing this one, albeit I'm not all that sure how I feel about it :/ But I hope you enjoyed reading it ;)**

**So now that's three one-shots down, seven more to go haha.**

**Also to anyone else who would like a one-shot with a character of their choice, I would gladly write one for you; be it a lemony goodness or a sweet romantic scene—whatever tickles your pickle ;)**

**As always: questions, comments, concerns? You know where to leave 'em.**


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